Rotary teeter



June 17, 1930. E. H. TAYLOR 1,764,230.

ROTARY TEETER Filed Oct. 15, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l I z 7 Q gwwnto'b W EW/NGHZEYLOFF Patented June 17, 1930 PATENT OFFICE EWING HORACE TAYLOR, OF BEAUMONT, TEXAS ROTARY TEETER Application filed October 15, 1926.

This invention relates to rotary teeters.

An important object of the invention is to provide a novel form of teeter including a trackway having a series of undulations providing alternate high and low portions and adapted to effect a teetering action of the teeter board, the latter being rotatably supported in such a manner that the teetering action efiects rotation thereof about a vertical axis.

A further object is to provide novel roller means carried by the teeter board and adapted to contact with the trackway whereby friction between the rollers and trackway is materially reduced to permit the device to be operated with little effort.-

A further object is to provide a device of the above mentioned character having an undulated trackway prdvided with opposite high and low points arranged slightly more or less than 180 from each other whereby diametrically opposite rollers carried by the teeter board and contacting with the trackway will not simultaneously contact with the highest and lowest points of the trackway thus preventing the teeter board from reaching a dead point during its revolution about its vertical axis.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings I have shown several embodiments of the invention. In this showing:-

Figure lis a side elevation showing the teeter board in horizontal position,

Figure .2 is a! similar.( view showing the board in tilted position, parts being shown in section, 7

Figure 3 is an end elevation, parts being shown in section, 3

Figure 4 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view of the central portion of the apparatus,

Figure 5is a plan View of the trackway, mFigure 6. is a view similar to Figure 4 showing a somewhat modifiedform of device, and, Figure is a detail sectional view'of one Serial No. 141,805.

whole by the numeral 12 is arranged at the upper end of the pedestal and includes an internally threaded depending sleeve portion 13 threaded on the upper end of the pedestal. The trackway is further provided with a series of undulations indicated as a whole by the numeral 14, these undulations including alternate high and low points 15 and 16 respectively. Referring to Figures 3 and 5, it will be noted that an oddnumber of undulations are employed whereby each high point 15 will lie substantially, but not exactly opposite one of the low points 16. In other words, each high point lies slightly more or less than 180 from the substantially opposite low point 16, for a purpose to be described.

The trackway 12 constitutes a support for the teeter board to be described and includes a central bearing portion 17 which rotatably supports a vertical shaft 18 having a transverse pin 19 passing through its upper end. A substantially U-shaped bracket 20 is secured against the lower face of a teeter board 21 and isprovided with depending arms 22 through which the pin 19 extends. It will be apparent that the teeter board is adapted to revolve about the axis of the shaft 17, while. the pin 19 acts as pivot means to permit the board 21 to teeter or oscillate about a horizontal. axis. I

Onopposite sides of the bracket 20, substantially Ushape'd supports 23 are secured against the lower face of the teeter board,

and each support 23 is provided at opposite c ends with depending arms 24. Shafts 25 extend through the arms of the supports 23 and rotatably support rollers 26. As clearly shown in'Figure 4, each roller 26 is substantially shorter than the space between the arms of the support 23, and a coil spring 27 surrounds each shaft 25 between the outer arm 24 and the adjacent end of the, roller 26 whereby the rollers arenormally urged inwardly. A guard 28 is adapted to cover the operating elements of the device just described. This guard is provided with semicircular ends extending beneath the teeter board and each side of the guard is provided with an upwardly extending portion 29 nailed or otherwise secured against the edge of the board 21. The board 21 is provided adjacent each end with a hand hold 30. The device is of course particularly intended for use by children, and a child may sit upon either end of the board 21 and grasp one of the hand holds 30 as will be apparent.

In the form of the device illustrated in Figure 6, the pedestal, trackway and vertical shaft are the same as in the form of the invention previously described and need not be referred to in detail. In the modified form the teeter board, supports 23 and guard '28 also are identical with those previously described. In the modified form of the device, however, I employ rollers 31 which are substantially shorter than the space between the arms 24 of the supports 23. Each roller is adapted to rotate upon its shaft 2521s in the form of the invention previously described, and also is adapted to partake of sliding movement on the shaft. No springs are employed in connection with the rollers 31, but each of these rollers is provided with a relatively deep peripheral groove 24; which is adapted to engage the upper edge of the undulations 14.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The teeter board is operated to produce a teetering or oscillating movement in the usual manner. This teetering action obviously lifts one roller 26 and depresses the other. One of the rollers contacts with a portion of one of the upper undulations 16, thus causing the board 21 to swing about the axis of the shaft 18. The roller just mentioned subsequently passes one of the low points 16 at which time the other roller passes over one of the high points 15 whereupon the latter roller continues the rotating movement of the board. Since each high point is arranged slightly more or less than 180 from its opposite low point, it will be apparent that a teetering movement of the board 21 will effect rotating movement throughout any position in its rotation thus eliminating any dead spots.

It will be apparent that as the board swings from a tilting to a horizontal position, the distances 'between'the points of contact between the rollers and trackway, and the center of the shaft 18 will vary, and this tends to create a sliding action between the undulations and the rollers which would cause the introduction of considerable friction in the operation of the device. The springs 27 are relatively light, and as the distance of the contact points between the rollers 26 and undulations 1 1 from the centerof the shaft 18 increases, the rollers move outwardly against the tension of the springs 27, thus preventing the sliding action between the rollers and undulations. This action materially reduces friction, thus permitting the device more easily to be operated. The operation of the form of the device shown in Figures 6 and 7 is substantially the same except that the springs are eliminated and grooved rollers are employed. The undulations are always arranged in the grooves 34, and the rollers 31 are adapted to slide toward and away from the axis of the shaft 18.

"It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a pedestal, a trackway mounted at the upper end of said pedestal and provided with a plurality of circularly arranged undulations having alternate high and low points, each high point of the undulations lying nearly but not exactly opposite one of the low points, a shaft mounted coaxial with respect to said undulations and adapted to rotate with respect thereto, a teeter board carried by the upper end of said shaft andada-pted to oscillate about a horizontal axis, a pair of supports arranged on opposite. sides of the axis of said shaft, and a roller carried by each of said supports, said rollers being adapted to partake of radial movement with respect to said shaft.

2. A device of the character described comprising a pedestal, a tracltway mounted at the upper end of said pedestal and provided with a plurality of circularly arranged undulations having alternate high and low points, each high .point of the undulations lying nearly but not exactly opposite one of the low points, a shaft mounted coaxial with said undulations and adapted to rotate with respect thereto, a teeter board carried by the upper end of said shaft and adapted to oscillate about a horizontal axis, a pair of substantially inverted U.-.shaped supports secured against the lower face of said board and arranged on opposite sides of szi dshaft,

and a pair of alined rollers carriedby said supports and arranged radially with respect to the axis of said shaft, said rollers being adaptedto partake of radial movement with respect to said shaft.

A device of the character comprising a pedestal, a trackway mounted at the upper end of said pedestal and provided with a plurality of circularly arranged undulations having alternateliigh andlow points, each "high point of the un-' described dulations lying nearly but not exactly opposite one of the low points, a shaft mounted coaxial with respect to said undulations and adapted to rotate with respect thereto, a teeter board carried by the upper end of said shaft and adapted to oscillate about a horizontal axis, a pair of substantially inverted U-shaped supports secured against the lower face of said board and arranged on opposite sidesof the axis of said shaft, a pair of alined rollers carried by said supports and arranged radially with respect to the axis of said shaft, said rollers being adapted to partake of radial movement with respect to said shaft, and springs normally urging said rollers inwardly toward said shaft.

4t. A device of the character described comprising a pedestal, a bearing mounted at the upper end of said pedestal, a trackway carried by said bearing and including a series of circularly arranged undulations having alternate high and low points, each of the high points of the undulations lying nearly but not exactly opposite one of the low points, a shaft rotatably supported in said bearing coaxial with said undulations, a transverse shaft rotatably supported at the upper end of said first named shaft, a teeter board, a bracket carried by the lower face of said board and rotatably supported by said horizontal shaft, a pair of supports secured to the lower face of said board at opposite sides of the axis of said first named shaft, and a. pair of alined rollers carried by said supports and arranged radially with respect to said first named shaft, said rollers being adapted to partake of sliding movement radially with respect to said first named shaft.

:3. A device of the character described comprising a pedestal, a bearing mounted at the upper end of said pedestal, a trackway carried by said bearing and including a series of circularly arranged undulations having alternate high and low points, each of the high points of said undulations lying nearly but not exactly opposite one of the low points, a shaft rotatably supported in said bearing coaxial with said undulations. a transverse shaft rotatably supported at the upper end of said first named shaft, 3 teeter board, a bracket carried by the lower face of said board and rotatably supported by said horizontal shaft, a pair of supports secured to the lower face of said board at opposite sides of the axis of said shaft, a pair of alined rollers carried by said supports and arranged radially with respect to said first named shaft, said rollers being adapted to partake of sliding movement radially with respect to said first named shaft, and springs normally urging said rollers inwardly toward the center of said first named shaft.

6. A device of the character described comprising a pedestal, a bearing mounted at the upper end of said pedestal, a trackway carried by said bearing and including a series of circularly arranged undulations having alternate high and low points, each of the high points of said undulations lying nearly but not exactly opposite one of the low points, a shaft rotatably supported in said bearing coaxial with said undulations, a transverse shaft rotatably supported at the upper end of said first named shaft, a teeter board, a bracket carried by the lower face of said board and rotatably supported by said horizontal shaft, a pair of supports secured to the lower face of said board at opposite sides of the axis of said first named shaft, a pair of alined rollers carried by said supports and arranged radially with respect to said first named shaft, said rollers being adapted to partake of sliding movement radially with respect to said first named shaft, springs normally urging said rollers inwardly toward the center of said first named shaft, and a depending elongated guard carried by said board and surrounding said rollers, said guard having an open lower end into which said trackway projects.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

EWING HORACE TAYLOR. 

